Parenting has never been easy, but all parents have one great thing going for them from day one: Their children love and look up to them more than anyone else in the world. This is an important part of the grand scheme of things, because while your children are a gift from Heaven, they are a work in progress. It’s your job to help them grow into loving, responsible adults.

The love and respect your children feel for you are inborn, but love and respect aren’t static. They increase or diminish day by day according to how you interact with your child. So don’t betray your childrens’ trust. Set the kind of example they will be proud to follow.

If you want your children to be outgoing and genuinely concerned about others, be that way yourself. If you want them to be unselfish, be unselfish. If you want them to be honest, be honest. If you want them to be optimistic and solution oriented, let them see you approach life’s challenges and disappointments positively. If you want them to love, respect, and have a genuine connection with Me, keep your own connection strong through spending time with Me and reading My Word and putting what it says into practice. If you want them to have thankful hearts, thank and praise Me for My goodness at every turn

If you set the right example for your children during their formative years, those bonds of love and respect will be unbreakable, no matter what may befall you or them. They will also be equipped to grow into adults that both you and I can be proud of. Then when you come home to Me, you’ll hear Me say, “Well done, good and faithful parent!” (Matthew 25:21, paraphrased).